S. Korean aid supplies to be airlifted to Indonesia

The C-130 Hercules jets left a military airport just south of Seoul earlier in the day and are scheduled to touch down on Sulawesi Island, which was devastated by a 7.5-magnitude quake and ensuing tsunami late last month, at around 4:10 p.m. (local time).

The disaster left 1,763 dead as of Sunday and many others missing or wounded, according to the local authorities.

The planes are loaded with 130 sets of tents and other relief materials requested by the Indonesian government.

South Korea proposed dispatching a disaster relief team to affected areas but Indonesia said it wants aid supplies, embassy officials said.

South Korea plans to operate the jets in Indonesia for about 10 days to help transport other aid materials.

"It's the first time for South Korean military cargo planes to be deployed to Indonesia for disaster relief operations," South Korea's Ambassador to Indonesia Kim Chang-beom said. "It will serve as an occasion symbolic of a 'special, strategic partnership' between the two countries."